Since Then, Until Forever
by RikuOfTheDesert
Summary: GaaraXOC Lost within a dark world, Gaara is nothing, but the Demon of Suna, until he finds a girl with the same sad look in her eyes. Chunin exams, evil plotting snakes, Kazekage duties and annoying elder councils are put on hold, while Gaara tries to k
1. Chapter 1

Since then, Until forever

**Authors Notes: **This is my first fanfic so please be nice to me, and I do except flames but nice reviews are welcomed. I don't own Naruto

The name **Kohana** means _little flower_ in Japanese as all of my characters I have make up in my other stories all have been chosen for their meanings, I though the Kohana was a good chose when you put her name in its full text.

Oh look, I rambling . . . . hehe . . . . on with the story.

"_Thoughts"_

"_**Shukaku"**_

"Normal"

* * *

**Since then, Until forever**

By RikuOfTheDesert

* * *

**Chapter 1: Meeting of Two Lost Souls**

* * *

Blood. The warm substance ran slowly down a soft creamy cheek then dripped down a long slender neck. It coated delicate, but strong arms and legs, and stained light brown ragged clothes. Its stench hang heavily in the air, as the bodies of the dead littered the area.

A twelve year old short curly raven-haired girl stood in the centre of the cluster of bodies. Gripping a katana caked in blood in each hand, red eyes blazing, before her were the last two opponents out of the fifty that had attach her.

She had felt their presents following her for the last three days, but had been unable to calculate how many of them there had been. When they had finally attacked it had taken her by surprise. She had figured that there were a lot of them, but not so many.

The fight had been a long and tiring one, many had not even been worth her time, but there had been those select few that had posed as a challenge for her and some had even wounded her, but they too ended up dead like the others.

Now exhausted and slightly dizzy from the lose of blood she stood tall, showing no weakness, katana held ready in front of her as the last two annoyances stood there smirking at her.

One had gray hair that was tied back in a low pony tail and wore round glass that reflected the light making it impossible to see his eyes. The other was tall and had long black hair that fell in his face were yellow eyes gazed hungrily out at her. His eyes were that of a predator and she was his pray.

Her head started to swim, and she used all her strength to not sway, as the black haired man stood forward.

"It hurts, doesn't it? To lose that much blood," he sneered.

"I don't know who the bastard you are, but I'll kill you just like I killed all your men," the girl sneered back, but inside she was panicking as she felt her knees shake with the strain of holding herself up.

"You would kill the one, who would leave you with such a great parting gift?" asked the man, taking one more step towards her.

"I have no idea what you're trying to say," she answered, holding her katanas up a little higher, hoping to scare him a little.

"I will leave you with the gift of true power and when the time comes you will come to me seeking more and I will give it to you," said the man. Before she had time to react, his neck extended as his head shot out at her like a snake and long fangs sunk in to the flesh of her neck.

Pain shot though her body as the place of her neck burned like a red hot brand, as his fangs released her neck his head returned to it normal place. The raven haired girl fell to her knees and the pain running though her body double ten-fold make it hard for her to think, as she gasped out, "Fuck you, you bastard!"

"Remember, you will come you me, the legendary sannin, Lord Orchimaru of the Sound Village," he sneered as he and his partner disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Gasping for breath she collapsed face down of the ground "_so this is the end of the legendary thief, the dark shadow of the night, Kohana_," she thought as the pain make her drift in to the land of unconscious.

* * *

Three days later four shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Sand past though, returning from their last mission. The tension was high in the air as the three eldest members of the group watch the youngest member with weary eyes as his stability was questioned at the moment.

It had been a simple B-rank mission of collecting an important scroll of hidden secrets that they had to collect from some shinobi from the Grass Village to take back to Suna. There had been a chance that enemy shinobi would attack to get their hands of such important information, and there had been two attempts from enemy shinobi at getting the secrets of the scroll, but they were killed quickly but the youngest member, Gaara of the Desert with not so much a flinch or hesitation. Apart from that, the trip back had been a quite one, expect for Gaara killing the Grass shinobi at the start of the mission, because of the lack of blood.

The three older shinobi, watched as Garaa's breathing continued to rage unevenly and his eyes held a crazed wanting and the sinister smile on his face making him look inhuman. Yet they continued on, jumping from tree to tree, every few minutes or so one would look back at Gaara, until the oldest member, Baki-sensei, called a holt.

"What is it?" asked the only female member of the group, Temari.

"Can anyone else smell that stench in the air?" said Baki-sensei, as the other three sniff the air to see what their teacher was talking about.

"Whoa, that reeks. What is that smell?" asked that last member Kankuro, as he held his noise.

Baki, stood still, as he slow deified what it was, "It smells like - ,"

"Blood,"

Baki turned to Gaara as the word left the young boys mouth, the look in his eye appeared more psychotic as he looked in the direction that the stench was coming from.

"Baki-sensei," voiced Temari, softly, as if hoping that it would not draw her to the attention of her unbalanced team mate, "What are we going to do?"

Baki paused in thought, eye still trained on Gaara, _It would be in our best interest to look into this, as it is close to our border, but how would Gaara react if what we were to find is too much for him,_ nodding Baki turned to the other two members of the team, "We shall check it out to see if holds any ill towards the sand village."

That said the four shinobi turned off their original course to investigate the origins of the bloody smell.

The sight that lay before the sand shinobi was that of a blood bath, bodies lay every where, within the small clearing that the smell of blood had lead them too, fifty scatted dead bloody figures. Blood was dripping out of wounds all over their bodies, spattered all over trees and sipping into the ground, the sight could only be described as the biggest massacre of human slaughtering that they had every seen done by someone that was not Gaara.

"What the hell happened?!" voiced Kankuro, in a horse voice as the strong stench of rotting flesh wafted up his nose, making him want to gag.

Baki scanned the clearing of died masses, until it landed on a small body lying in the middle. It was the only one laying in a circle of one meter each way and it appeared to be moving, but only a little.

"Hey, I think that person's still alive," said Temari, as she pointed to the quivering body that Baki had been studying.

Kankuro slowly stepped towards, arm out stretch to pock the small body. Just as Kankuro's finger was two centimeters away, a small gasp of pain escaped the delicate small mouth as onyx eyes snapped open to land on Kankuro and his out stretch arm.

The small body flickered as it disappearing then reappearing a few short meters away, with a speed many ninja's would envy. Onyx eyes moved from Kankuro on to Temari, then on the Baki and last on Gaara, dark eyes seemed unfocused not really taking in what was in front of them. They raised their two katanas up in a defensive stance, eyeing Kankuro the closes of the Suna team.

"We are not trying to harm you. Please put the weapons down and come with us," said Baki with authority in his voice.

"What?" said Kankuro, eyes flicking back to his sensei before flicking start back, determined not to let the person with two weapons in hand a chance to take a swing one at him.

"Baki-sensei, it looks like he was the one to kill all these ninjas. Why are we helping him? He could end up being a danger to the Sand Village," said Temari as her eyes through a glance at Gaara.

"Look around; there are signs all over this clearing of a large scale ambush. This ninjas seemed to have ambushed him. For them to do that he must be someone of great power or importance," replied Baki sternly.

"Or a wanted killer," stated Kankuro bluntly, hand flinched slightly ready to moving to a battle stance at a moments notice.

"If he was a wanted killer Suna would have him in our Bingo book, and I haven't seen someone this young in the Bingo Book yet," stated Baki eyes on the young person with the glaring onyx eyes.

There was a _Whooshing_ sound as a large tress of sand whipped out of the gourd on Gaara's back, lunging towards the black hair youth.

"GAARA, NO –!"

It was to later, the sand came crashing down on top of the raven haired, onyx eyed youth that no one would have survived.

Baki turned to Gaara and said in a stern voice with a little hint of hesitation laced in his voice, "We needed him, he could have been a great asset to Suna had he come with us. Why did you do that?"

Gaara looked at Baki with a insane look with in his eye, "You were taking to long, and I wanted to kill him," Gaara then chuckled under his breath that made him sound evil and insane.

"Look, up there," said Temari, cutting into the tense atmosphere that had descended of the Sand team after Gaara's statement.

They all turned to look up to see the raven hair youth standing in a nearby tree, one hand on the tree to stop themselves from falling. They seemed to be breathing heavily and was not steady on their feet.

"How did – ?" said Kankuro, who seemed unable to finish his sentence as he look a upon the youth with a sense of awe, no one had ever managed to dodge Gaara's attacks before, not with his sand moving as fast as it had toward the onyx eye youngster.

Gaara's jade eyes narrowed as the he started at the onyx eyed raven haired youth that had just missed his attack, no one had done that before and it pissed him off greatly.

"_**Kill him! Kill the scum! This should by greatly entertaining. If he was able to dodge that, let's see how long he can stand up against us in a fight. Kill HIM!" **_sounded the voice of the demon Shukaku as it raged inside Gaara's head, a feeling of great power flowed though him making him feel geared up to attack the raven haired youth.

The youngster in the tree swayed and stumbled for a little, before his eyes rolled back, his head fell forwards and he fell from the tree. As he fell it seemed like everything was moving slowly, as the two katanas slipped from his grip and slashed towards the ground.

Baki jumped forward arms out stretched, reaching to grab the falling child before he hit the ground. Catching the young boy in his arms, Baki was surprised by the feel of him. By the look of the child he was no more then a common thief, and Baki would have said it too had he not seen how fast the boy more and seen the dead bodies that lettered the clearing to know the child had a capability with a sword.

Holding the boy, however, Baki could feel that this boy was well feed, if not a little thin, but who knew how long the child had been laying in this clearing unconscious and bleeding slowly to death, but seeing as he could more fast Baki guessed he would be able to get food easily, and with some training maybe he would make a find addiction to the shinobi of Suna.

Baki could feel a warm liquid sip into his jacket from the child in his arms and knew that if the boy bleeds any more he would die for sure. "Temari, I want you to wrap up his wounds, he's bleeding greatly from a wound in his shoulder, if you find any more wrap those too."

Temari nodded as Baki gently laid the young boy down on the ground before letting Temari do her work. Pulling up the boy's shirt Temari gasped.

"What is it?' asked Kankuro worried by what his sister had found.

"It's a girl," said Temari in surprise.

"WHAT? . . . . . What do you mean it's a girl?" said Kankuro unable to understand what she had said.

"The boy isn't a boy it's a girl," said Temari, as she looked at small mounds of flesh that looked like the start of breast, meaning the girl was not far, if not starting to go though puberty.

"You're telling me that a twelve year old _GIRL_ did this," said Kankuro looking around the clearing in disbelief.

"Women are just as capable as men are, Kankuro," said Temari in a dangerously low voice, glaring at her brother, making his step back in fear, before turning back to wrapping up the small girls' wounds.

Pulling the shirt back over the girls head and over her now bandaged shoulder and chest, Temari pulled her up to half carry, her half pull her along.

"We have wasted enough time as it is," said Baki turning in the direction of Suna, "We'll take turns in carrying her, now let's go." With that the Sand shinobi took off in a run leaving the clearing of the dead behind them.

* * *

Kohana could feel the hard throb of her head as she slowly made it back into the conscious world. The pain made it feel as if her scull was going to crack open and her brain fall out. Slowly Kohana started to feel the pain in the rest of her body, busies and cuts made themselves known, as the numb feeling in her body slowly disappeared. Her neck hurt the most and she could not remember why, then it slowly came back to her.

The fight, the people she had killed, the cuts and busies, the blood, there had been a lot of blood as Kohana remembered, she had been wounded by a large man with a sword, but she remembered taking him down after that and then another opponent had stepped forward and the fight had continued. Then a looming face resurface in her mind, the long black hair and creepy yellow eyes, the eyes of a predator, he had bitten her on the neck, she remembered the pain as his fangs pierced her skin.

Why was she alive? She should have died that night, not just from the lost of blood, but also from the pain too. As her mind slowly made it way to it usual alertness she became a where of the warm and soft surface that she appeared to be laying on. Slowly her hearing started to come back as she began able to pick up the sound of people talking around her.

"_How is she?"_

This voice was female and Kohana felt somewhere deep in her mind that she had heard this voice before, the female sounded like she was young, still in her mid teens.

"_We have stopped the bleeding and have been pumping fluids into her body. She is stable now and has been sleeping for awhile. However she seems to have a strange mark on her neck."_

This voice was also female, and unknown, but had age and maturity laced into her voice as if she held wisdom and knowledge.

"_What__ do you mean there's a mark?"_

The voice belonged to a male, and Kohana knew she had heard that voice of authority before.

"_I__t appears to be a curse mark, one of great power that can double the users strength tenfold. However this one seems to have been placed on her recently and by force as her body appears to have been forced to painfully change to allow the curse to live inside the girl's body. Thank gad she is no more then twelve, if she was too much older she would have died from such an attack on the body."_

The wise female voice said as Kohana heard a soft beeping sound that sounded a lot like a medical machine.

_CRASH!! BANG!! SMASH!! SHIT! DAMN! FUCK!!_

There was the sound of glass or porcelain falling to the ground and a string of curses followed. Kohana realized her sense of smell was back as the stench of medicine reached her nose.

"_KANKURO! WHAT THE HELL TO YOU THINK YOUR DOING YOU COULD HAVE WOKEN HER UP!!"_

The young female voice screeched as a thump was heard and a moan of pain as the thrown fist hit its mark.

"_If my smashing of a medical pot didn't you screaming will Temari," _

Groaned a young male's voice as he fought to bring air into his lungs.

"_WHAT DID YOU SAY?"_

"_Temari, Kankuro, stop fighting in the hospital, or I'll though you out myself!"_

It was that male voice again, the one that screamed authority, the bickering stopped straight away, and silence hang heavily in Kohana's mind, but that was not what had her panicking_. Did he just say hospital?_ Hospital meant a settlement, a settlement meant people, and people meant a cage that she could not get out of . . . . , well at least a cage that would try to keep her in.

Kohana opened her eyes to see white hospital walls all round her, four people stood around the bed that she laid on, memories of three of them came to the surface of her mind.

One was a blonde haired female with her hair up in four ponytails two on top of her head and two on the bottom. She was fifteen or sixteen and wore a short off the shoulders white dress with mesh netting around one thigh and on the opposite ankle and mesh under shirt. She seemed to be carrying something like a large fan on her back.

The second was a young male in black with a hood that was in shape of cat ears; white and purple face paint lined his face not really making him look that attractive. There was want looked like a mummy strapped to his back, he seemed be the age of fourteen.

The last was an older male in elite ninja clothing and half his face covered with a white cloth. Kohana could faintly remember the three of them being in the battle field clearing, but there had been a fourth member in the clearing, he had blood red hair, bright jade eyes, rimmed in black shadows around them. He wore black with a brown leather strap and white sash holding a large gourd to his back.

However the fourth member around Kohana's bed was elderly female with grey hair and a face filled with wisdom, she wore a white robe that Kohana surmised as a medical robe, and she held a clip board in her hand, that appeared to have Kohana's medical development on it.

Kohana's eyes quickly glanced around the room, when the four around her bed did not notice that she had awoken, to see if she could find a quick way out of this hell hole. Her eyes landed on the window, where she could see a village made of sand and rock, and beyond that was a baron waste land of endless sand.

"_Suna. So they brought me to Hidden Village in the Sand,"_ thought Kohana, as movement by the window caught her eye. It was the last member of the shinobi team, the red haired boy, with cold, dead jade eyes, eyes that were looking right at her.

Kohana froze as a staring contest started, one set of murderous jade eyes against wiry onyx eyes. Kohana noted that he was not making a move to tell the others of her wake state, looking into his eyes she saw a great hate for everything living, and a thrust to kill all of human kind, but that was not what had her staring at him, it was a look of sadness and loneliness that was hidden under all that anger and hate.

It was the sense of hurt and emotional pain that had something in Kohana wanting to reach out to him, the scared and afraid little boy that cry to be held and protected by another, to feel connected and bound to another human being, to know that he was wanted and loved. Kohana could not help but feel a connection to this boy in front of her and she was unable to not notice that, even with his dark aura around him was quite handsome.

With his messy and unkempt rusty red hair and his bright shining jade eyes that were brought out more by the black circles that framed them, and with his strong build hidden under his black clothing, it was hard not to see that he was very good-looking, he was however kind of short for his age, but in a few years time when he grow up a little he would be the heart throb of the village.

However as soon as Kohana saw all this it was covered up with a meanest glare Kohana had ever reserved. If looks could kill she would have died with the look he was giving her and she had a feeling he had had a lot of practice. Having seen pass his emotional shield she had a feeling that whatever had made him like this had happened a long time ago, for the emotional darkness he found himself in had consumed him, leaving Kohana with the feeling of hopelessness that she believed he could not feel.

However, stubbornness took over and Kohana could not help but glare back just as darkly at him in warning, that had him glaring even darker if that was possible. Seeing as she could not go out the window with out having to go pass him, Kohana scanned the sides of her vision for the door, so she did not have to take her eyes of the red hair.

"_There,"_ thought Kohana as she spotted the door a few meters away to her right, in the opposite direction to the red hair, making it easier to get away from him, and her katanas had been left on the table next to her, meaning she didn't have to look for them or steal a new pair, she was rather attached to them.

Quick as a flash she was up, katanas in hand and though the door and down the white walled hallway. All the hallways looked the same, the same white walls, the same white doors, the only differences was the numbers above the doors, telling her that she was somewhere in the hundreds, not really helping in telling her the way out.

Voices of the Suna shinobi team and the female medic followed down the hall as they run to stop her so they could finish healing her or to question her about herself or what had happened in the clearing. Questions Kohana didn't really feel like answering anyway, so she picked up the speed, ignoring the pain in her body

78 . . . . . . 77 . . . . . 76 . . . . . 75 . . . . . 74 . . . . . . 73 . . . . . 72 . . . . . .

"_Crap! How much longer do I have to keep running?"_ thought Kohana as the seventies went pass and she still had not seen an exit.

"Oi, Girl! Get back here!" yelled a voice behind her, turning Kohana saw the face paint teen running no more then ten meters behind her.

"_Crap, when did he get there?"_ panicked Kohana, as she released because of her wounds she could not out run him too much, or she would pass out. However the tiered look in his eyes and the way he was panting made her feel better, with the knowledge that it was still a task to keep up with her in her weakened state. _"Sucker,"_

* * *

Gaara locked eyes with the raven haired girl in the hospital bed, in her eyes was showed fear of being found out and her eyes seemed to be imploring him to not tell the others that she was awake. He wasn't planning on telling them anyway, he had not interest in her except to fight her and kill her. Baki seemed to think that she could be used for the good of Suna, a weapon, a trap card, to be used just like him.

Looking at her, he could see the hard life she had lived, even with her fast speed and talent with a blade, her life had been hard. Her onyx eyes shined with mistrusted and her soft lips were set in a slight frown. Her short curly dark hair fell in her eyes and her hands were balled into fists, they twitched slightly towards the katanas on the table next to her as she seemed to gear up or a fight or flight.

What made Gaara stare at her was the look of sadness she had in her eyes covered by her mistrust and want to distance her self from others. She was lonely and lost just like he was and she seemed to be almost be reaching out to him, her eyes seem to soften with understanding of him.

No one understood him, he was on his own, he needed on one, he loved no one but himself**. **_**"That's right boy, you don't need anyone, kill them all, kill everyone that looks down on us, we need blood,"**_

Gaara quickly cut the girl off there before she looked too deeply into him by giving her a dark warning glare. This seemed to startle her for a moment before she seem to recover herself and glare back just as darkly, which only made him glare back darker in return.

Then faster than any normal sick and injured person would, she jumped out of the bed and out the white door.

"What the . . . ," said his half wit brother Kankuro as his brain slowly understood what happened.

"We need to stop her, the curse mark hasn't been sealed yet, if she uses too much chakra she could activate the mark and who knows what it will do to her body." Said the medic as she ran out of the room with Temari, Kankruo and Baki right on her heels.

"_**Idiots. The girls trying to find away out."**_ Said Shukaku in a mocking voice.

"Why go that way when there's a window right here," asked Gaara.

"_**Stupid boy, she would have to going through us, and she knew it, better to look for another way out then fight us in a weakened state, don't you think,"**_ answered Shukaku. _**"Go after her; if she escapes we'll never get that fight we want or have her blood soak though our sand,"**_

Listening to the demon, sand filed out Gaara's gourd as it started to twirl around him, making him disappear, leaving nothing, but a little pile of sand on the hospital floor.

* * *

Kohana puffed as she zipped past medics and patients alike, knocking over who ever got in her path to freedom, angry voice of medics and shinobi followed her every step, every floor she deceased they were there where on her tail.

"Dear – pant – you must not – gasp – use your chakra, – puff – your body is weak – pant – and tired – puff –. Please stop and – gasp – let me heal you – pant –," said the old female medic, as she gasped for breath.

"You know, for someone to have lost as must blood as she has, she can really move," said Temari as she looked and Baki.

"If she's doesn't stop soon she's going to end up tiring herself to death," comment Baki, frown at the girl speeding ahead of them. "If she survives this, with the strength and will power she's showing she would be a great shinobi for Suna,"

"First we have to stop her though," said Kankuro throwing in his little thought in to the conversation.

"We have to stop her before she runs out of chakra, because then her curse mark will activate," said the medic as she pushed more of her chakrainto her legs. "Though I don't have to say that this girl is really strong and fit, to be able to run after she has not fully healed from the state you brought her here in."

Kohana's heart skipped for joy when the front doors to the hospital came into view down the hall_, "Yes freedom, good bye suckers, it was fun while it lasted,"_ though Kohana as she speed down the hall. Just as she was half way there a twirl of sand appeared in the middle on the exit, as it slowly settled the structure of the red haired boy stood there.

Kohana quickly skidded to a stop in front of the red hair, katanas raised, pointed right at him, glaring, a warning to move now or she would have to make him, Kohana took a big breath as the pain in her body came back with vengeance.

The red hair stood there with arms crossed not moving, glaring right back; Kohana turned her head as the ones chasing her finally caught up, panting and out of breath.

"Gaara," said Temari in surprise at seeing him there, she had thought he would have left or stayed in the room.

"Okay, now came back to your room and we can talk about this later," said Baki as he stood forward to address her.

Making her mind up, Kohana turned back to the red hair and launched into an attack. His eyes widen for moment before sand came up to form a shield around him. Frown Kohana pushed more charka into her legs and turned to strike him of the right, she smiled when her katana got close to his skin before the sand shield appeared.

Pushed more charka though her, Kohana striked out at his left to just miss his flesh, smirking up at him, she was happy to see the surprise look on his face, the look was quickly changed to a glare as his eyes locked with hers, sending a shiver of excitement though her body. The feeling disappeared as she felt sand snake around her leg, before throwing her across the waiting room.

A groan of pain left Kohana's lips as her injured body hit the white hospital wall, she could faintly hear voices screaming for the fighting to stop, but neither Kohana or the red haired paid them much notice, as she pulled herself up at charged again, just as pain erupted from her neck making her scream in pain and fall to her knees.

"Oh no, the curse seal," said the medic running towards her, as the screaming stopped and Kohana fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Turning her over the medic and shinobi team could see black marking all over her neck and half her face and traveling down her shirt. He medic quickly checked her pulse and to see if she was breathing before breathing a sign of relief when there did seem to be any thing wrong with her.

Waving to more medics over she instructed him to take her back to her room and make sure she did not try something like that again, as others in the waiting room when back to doing what they where doing before a fight between the Suna monster and a mad patient had a fight in the hospital.

In the corner of the room Gaara watched as they took the raven haired girl away. _**"She good for being injured,"**_ said the Shukaku, _**"Makes me want to kill her all the more. No ones ever got that far past our defenses, I can't wait to kill her now, hahahaha,"**_ the laughing of the demon sound loudly in Gaara's head but he stay silent as his thoughts drifted to the raven haired girl and the look she had held in her eyes as she had looked at him

**

* * *

**

TO BE CONTINUED . . . .

_

* * *

_

Thats the end of chapter 1, Please review


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Notes: **I wasn't so sure I would really write chapter 2, but then an angel called **Animestar001** descended from the heavens in front of me a few hours after i had posted chapter 1 and said that she would like me to keep writing and that she loved my story and that she loved my character, and with that giving me the power to continue to write this story. So with no further a do I give you chapter 2.

The old medics name **Chikaho** which means _wisdom_ in Japanese I haven't given her a last name yet. I name **Umi Yasuo** means _ocean _(Umi – _last name_)_ tranquil and calm_ (Yasuo – _first name_) in Japanese, he is introduced in this chapter, but not really that important in the story, yet.

Oh look, I rambling again (I really should stop doing that) . . . . hehe . . . . on with the story.

**Disclaimor:** I don't own Naruto, but i do own the characters Kohana, Chikaho and Umi Yasuo

"Characters © Wright hahahhaha . . . . ."

"_Thoughts"_

"_**Shukaku"**_

"Normal"

**

* * *

**

Since Then, Until Forever

**By RikuOfTheDesert**

**Chapter 2: Looking The Demon In The Eye**

* * *

"_The throbbing is back,_" was the only thought to pass though Kohana's head as pain surged though her scull like electricity. Images here and there flashed though her mind one after the other. Only when an image of red hair and black rimmed jade eyes stared at her, did Kohana remember what happened.

Her waking up, seeing four people around her bed in a hospital, the dark aura around the red haired standing by the window, her running though the hospital, the fighting in the waiting room, the pain in her neck then darkness. In a panic, Kohana's eyes snapped open and she moved to sit up, to find that she was tied to the white sheeted hospital bed with leather belted straps.

"Ah, I see you have woken up again, deary," said a kind motherly voice. Looking to her right Kohana was faced with the medic from before, the one with the voice full of wisdom. Glaring, Kohana moved a little under the straps, wordlessly asking about the need for them.

"You gave us quite a fright the other day, so we had to then tie you down so you could heal probably," explained the medic as she busied herself with checking Kohana's health, as Kohana groaned.

* * *

The next few weeks, Kohana became to know the medic that took care of her as Chikaho; she was a kind loving women that kind of reminded her of her mothers love. Chikaho was slow and patient with her and always took care of her with gentleness, Kohana had never felt before. However, Kohana never spoke a word to her, yet Chikaho took this in step, believing Kohana to be mute.

Chikaho stop anyone from coming in to see her until she was able to move around with out activating her curse mark. She explained to Kohana about the mark the bastard had place upon her and the dangers of using it, yet Chikaho said she didn't know how to seal a mark as powerful as Kohana's up.

However the day came that Baki marched into Kohana's hospital room to talk to Kohana about the killings in the clearing of the dead.

"Young lady, it's time you told us want happened. The information you hold could be of great concern or benefit to Suna, so we need to know why you were ambushed?" said Baki as he lent over Kohana as he continued his interrogation.

"Baki-san, you can't just come in here and question my patients," said a shocked Chikaho, staring a Baki in disbelief.

"The Kazekage has waited long enough, for her to heal, and I believe she is back to full health now, so we must now question her before something happens to Suna," shot back Baki, sternly staring at Chikaho.

"The Kazekage can't wait to interrogate her or you can't wait to interrogate her, Baki-san?" snapped Chikaho glaring back at the elite shinobi that had just march right into her hospital and disturbed her patient, "even is she is fully healed she can't answer any of your questions, no matter what you think,"

"Are you trying to telling me you are going to stop the Kazekage from getting the answers he needs," growled Baki dangerously, as he pulled a scroll out of his green vest and handed it to Chikaho with a smirk. "These are orders from the Kazekage himself to question the girl until she gives us what we want, even if we have to torture her to get them."

Chikaho eyes widen as she read the information on the scroll_. "Torture! They would torture a defenceless little girl,"_ thought Chikaho as the event that had happen the first time the girl had awoken skipped her mind. Sighing, the old medic turned back to Baki shaking her head. "I'm not sorry to say this, but she still can't not tell you the answers you that are looking for,"

Frowning, Baki as he studied the medic in front of him, not sure he understood why the raven haired girl could not answer him, "and why is that,"

Chikaho let a small sad smile pass across her face, "She is a mute, Baki-san. She is unable to talk. I have looked at her throat for damage, and there seems to be none, but she has not said a word. If what you told me about her being a thief is true and at such a young age it could be that she has never learnt to or needed to talk to someone. And the best way to survive the life of a thief is to be quick and silent, is it not."

"Can't you teach her then? If she has never learnt, then teach her now," said Baki, losing a little of his composure.

"It's not as easy as that," snapped Chikaho, "I have to teach her to use her voice box and then how to pronouns the vowels and sounds and then I can teach her words, but there is many words in the dictionary, Baki-san. She won't be able to tell you anything for maybe a year's or longer, with how easy she is able to pick up the ability to speck."

"That's not good enough," hissed Baki, "the Kazekage wants her to work for the good of Suna and if she can't talk how she going to do that?"

"He plans to send this child out and do shinobi work," whispered Chikaho as the colour drained from her face.

"There a shinobi her age doing that type of work," said Baki matter-a-fact-ly.

"Yes, but they are genin and have gone to the academy, this is a girl who was a common thief. I'm sure she could do a D-rank mission, but something tells me you plan to send her on B- rank and god for bid A-rank missions," said Chikaho in hysterics.

"You seem to have forgotten what happen first time she woke up," sneered Baki, "You saw her skills in combat, she has the ability to become a great asset to Suna,"

"Asset," sniffed Chikaho in a different tone, "I believe you're thinking more of her as being a great weapon to Suna. May I remind you Baki-san about the last time Suna try to make a great weapon, we ended up with a blood thirsty monster, and I will not let you turn this girl in something like,"

"Gaara was a faulty experiment and is still a weapon to Suna and –,' started Baki.

"I don't care what you plan for this girl, I won't let you, now leave before I have to make you," challenged Chikaho drawing herself up to her full height, which wasn't even up to Baki's shoulder, glaring daringly at him.

"Fine, but this is not over," said Baki turning on his hells and walked out the door, stopping in the doorway throwing a look at Kohana only to see a smug smirk on her face, before he marched off down the hall.

"_Sucker, I don't plan to be here that long,_" thought Kohana as her eyes turned to the window and the endless sea of sand she could see over Suna large protective wall.

"I know this is not over Baki-san, I know," whispered Chikaho, to herself as she went back to looking though Kohana files, pulling Kohana back to what was going on around her.

"It looks like everything is fine now and you can leave," said Chikaho, her eyes not leaving the files.

Kohana jumped off the bed and was about to run though the door when someone came though them.

"Hello Chikaho-san, how are you? How is she doing?" asked a blonde haired Temari as she stepped into the room.

"It looks like she's fine to me," said the painted face of Kankuro looking over Temari's shoulder at Kohana.

"_Damn, what do they want now,_" thought Kohana as she mentally curse what ever god was doing this to her.

"She can now leave the hospital," said Chikaho cheerily as if she had not just had a heated fight with an elite ten minutes ago.

"Go, because dad's decided she will be living with us," said Temari happily, "I've always wanted a little sister,"

"Live with you?" said Chikaho, the smile slipping from her face, as she the idea of this being Baki's doing, before quickly being put back on. "I don't know . . . . ,"

"Awww, come on please," whined Temari, "I really want a little sister, and I promise I won't let Kankuro do anything perverted to her,"

"Hey, I wouldn't do something like that," said Kankuro, as Temari smirked at him.

"Yeah right,"

"HEY!"

Chikaho looked at Kohana has the siblings continued to argue between themselves, and saw the frown on Kohana's face as she looked at the siblings with. "_Maybe it would do her some good to be with children her own age. It would help with her lessons in speech, and she's probably never had a friend before_," thought Chikaho as a small smile, "_Yes it may help her, and I can still stop Baki-san from doing anything that will hurt her even if she lives with the siblings, yes_" Chikaho smiled, as the idea warmed up to her.

"Okay, I think it is a good idea," said Chikaho, making Kohan turn around and give her a horrified look, "Come now it will be good for you to be with kids close to your age and it will help with your lessons," Chikaho patted Kohana on the head fondly as if she was her own.

"Yeah," said Temari as she through her arms around Kohana, "I now have the sister I've always wanted," letting Kohana go, Temari exclaimed in a happy voice, So what's your name then?"

Kohana just looked at her blankly.

"She can't speak, I will be teaching her though. She will have to come and see me every day for an hour and you will have to speak to her as if she is a normal person, it will help her to learn," said Chikaho to temari.

"Oh you poor thing you can't speak," said Temari pouting and drawing Kohana in fro another bone crashing hug, "Don't worry I will help teach you,"

"Yeah she speaks enough for two people anyway, ouch," said Kankuro making Temari punched him.

"_What do this people think, I'm a child. Talking to me like that. Please oh some high being which god did I piss off,_" pleaded Kohana looking out side to the sky as if it might answer her.

* * *

The day continued with Temari and Kankuro showing her around Suna and telling her about places and who some people were. By the end Kohana really wanted to just up and leave.

"And over there, that's Umi Yasuo, he owns 'Umi sea food' company which owns a lot if not all of the sea food exports and imports into and out of Suna. What do you think?" asked Temari smiling cheerfully.

"She can't talk remember," stated Kankuro deadpanned.

"So? Chikaho-san said to talk to her as is she was," shot back Temari, frowning.

"_Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out, BREATH! You can deal with these idiots. You have dealt with worst, just breath_," Kohana mentally chanted in her head over and over again, trying to ignore the on going talking of the two siblings.

"And there's the market place and that street there sells clothes, we are going to have to go there to get you some clothes. We can't have you running around in _those_ rags –,"

"_Breath, breath, breath. Remember your not going to be here that long, anyway. You're just going to get a decent meal into you, grab whatever money you can get and high tail it out of there_," stressed Kohana, breathing deeply as she did.

At the end on the day Temari and Kankuro took her back to their house. It looked a lot like every other building in Suna, a great mountain of brown rocks and sand. It however was bigger then all the other houses.

"This is our house, it's also the Kazekage manor, we live here because our dad is the Kazekage," said Kankuro as if Kohana should think it was a big thing, and she supposed it was, she just didn't care.

"_So their father is this Kazekage that wanted information from me and would have tortured me for it and he wants me to do shinobi work for the village. Hm, now I know why their father said I could live with them he's the Kazekage._" Thought Kohana as pieces of the puzzle that had been following her all day fell into place. "_Well, Kazekage-baka, you'll have to do a lot better then that if you want anything out of me,_" vowed Kohana as a smirk crossed her face, unseen be the to siblings next to her, but not by the one watching her walk towards the house though a window, as a mischievous look accompanied it.

* * *

"It's that raven haired girl again," thought Gaara from his spot at the window, as the boyish looking girl followed his worthless siblings into the house.

"_**Yes, and it looks like she will be living here, a perfect chance to kill her, hahahahahah,**_" answered the Shukaku in glee at the thought of all her blood being ripped from her body as it flowed though his sand. "_**She is a worthy opponent and her blood will make us stronger.**_"

"Yes, it will," agreed Gaara as he turned from the window and melted into the darkness of the room.

* * *

"This is home sweet home. What do you think?" asked Temari excitedly, looking to Kohana for her response.

Kohana just raised her eye brow as her eyes sweeping over her surroundings. It wasn't too different to a commoners place and did not look as if it belonged to a powerful Kage, it was . . . . . . home-y.

"What's with just a raised eye brow, it's better then anywhere you would have lived I'm sure," snorted Kankuro.

"Kankuro!" exclaimed Temari in shock, before hitting him over the head.

"OUCH! What was that for?"

"For being insensitive,"

Kohana left the two, yet again, arguing siblings and ventured on down the hall. She found the dinning hall, the kitchen and the lounge room quick enough and also stairs leading up to the next level. The second floor was nothing more then a long hall with doors coming off on each side.

Behind the first door was a bedroom with weapons and jutsu scrolls lining the walls and dirty and clean clothes littering the floor. It was . . . . girl-y in taste and Kohana had to guess that it had o belong to Temari.

The second was another bedroom. This one was littered with dirty clothes, dummy parts, tools, screws, bolts, rotting food scraps, and what looked like porn magazines all around the room. This one had to belong to Kankuro.

Kohana continued down the hall, looking behind one door after another, finding a drawing room, an office belonging to the Kazekage, the Kazekage's matser bedroom and two dust covered guestrooms.

Closing the last door she had opened, which held a storage room, Kohana turned to the last door in the hall to find it opened and a pair of cold, hateful jade eyes staring back at her.

"Don't go into my room or I'll kill you,"

Kohana took a step back, taking up a defensive stance, hands twitching a little as they got ready to grab the two katana's tied to her back.

"On second thought, I'll just kill you now," said the red head as tentacles of sand came rushing out of the dark room behind him.

Ducking and flipping down the hall, Kohana slide to a stop, quickly grabbing the blades as more sand attacks followed her. Crashing though one of the doors; Kohana quickly made for the window and jumped out.

"_What the hell is this guy's problem? What did I ever do to him,_" though Kohana as she pushed charka into her feet and ran up the wall onto the roof. A scene of her slashing at the red head in a hospital waiting room flashed in her mind. "_Oh, right. I take one swing at the guy and now his going to kill me. GREAT!_"

"_**You're not trying to run now are you?**_" echoed a creepy psycho voice.

"God this guy needs to find some help. There's something not right about him," murmured Kohana under her breath.

"_**There you are!**_" said the red head as he appeared on the roof in front of Kohana, but his voice had changed and his face had become deformed with sand.

"_WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY!_" screamed Kohana in her head.

"GAARA!"

Temari and Kankuro appeared on either side of Kohana looking at what use to be the read head. They each pulled their weapons from their backs.

"Gaara, you have to stop this. You can't cause more trouble for the village. If you stop now no one else will have to be dragged into this," said Kankuro, tying to talk sense into the younger boy, but the terrified look on his face did not help one bit.

"_**I'll kill you too, if you don't get out of the way!**_" roared the creature called Gaara.

"Kankuro, go get Baki-sensei and dad," said Temari, her voice wavering a little from fear.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll try and talk some sense into him. Just go."

Kankuro turned and took off in the direction of the Kage tower, while Temari turned to Kohana. "Get out of here, his dangerous when his like this,"

Kohana raised an eye brow in response to this, "_So this is not the first time his been like this, but what is he? What's with the sand?_"

"_**What's the matter? Do I scare you? Well, little girl? Do I?**_" laughed the deformed monster.

Kohana just smirked before she flicked out of sight just to reappear next to the half human, half sand creature. Striking out at him with perfect skill, just for a shield of sand stopped the blade at the last second.

"_Damn, that sand shield again,_" thought Kohana disgruntled, "_How is he doing that? What is he? Is the sand following his command or dose it protect him on its own?_"

Flicking out of sight; Kohana swang at him again, before disappearing just as fast to just reappear again with another attack. This continued on as Kohana analysed his movements and attacks to deceiver what his style of jutsu was.

Suddenly, Kohana was ripped from her thoughts as sand rapped around her ankle, throwing her off the roof and down the street.

"Gaara stop!" yelled Temari, as she run to follow Gaara as he turned to jump of the roof on to the street.

"_**I said stay out of this!**_"

A tentacle of sand in the shape of a tail swang out, hitting Temari off the roof.

"Temari!" yelled Kankuro as he dove to catch is sister before she hit the ground.

"Kankuro, where Baki-sensei and dad?" asked Temari weakly.

"Here," answered the stern voice of Baki as he appeared standing next to Kankuro, soon followed by the figure of the Kazekage and a group of twenty elite shinobi.

"What happened here?" asked the Kazekage in a commanding voice.

"We were showing the new girl around the house when we lost her, next minute we hear crashing and Gaara's half transformed and trying to kill her," said Kankuro as eyes turned to the monster that was his brother.

"Right, men you know what to do," snapped the Kazekage signalling the shinobi into action.

However, their plan was cut short when Kohana jumped back up and the fight continued. Blades swinging, sand striking, blokes, dodging, attacks continued as the shinobi were left to watch.

"Who is that?"

"Look at that ability, that skill. They are better then most chunins,"

"Chunin! That guys good enough to be a jonin!"

"How can that guy go up against Gaara like that?"

"His got to be no more then twelve, what's he playing at?"

"Is that kid mad?"

Murmurs rushed though the shinobi as the two fighting children continued no sign of one having the upper hand.

"How can she fight against Gaara like that? And his half transformed too, on one would stand a chance, how can she?" whispered Baki in awe as one of her swings nearly slit Gaara's throat if he had not jumped back. Her attacks were now moving to fast for his sand to keep up with.

"Orders, Kazekage-sama," asked a nervous shinobi, eyes wearily watching the monstrous Gaara.

"Get ready for action, chance you get, do it," order the Kazekage, eyes never leaving the fighting Kohana.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," chorused the group of shinobi.

"_**You are a worthy opponent, girl, but I will soon make your blood run dry with my sand**_," said Gaara in a creepy voice as he quickly lashed out at Kohana making her jump back and flip onto a roof top two houses away.

"NOW!" called the voice of Baki signalling the shinobi's that had surrounded Gaara, as they went though a series of hand signs before placing their hands on the ground. A bright blue line of charka flowed from their hands across the ground to rap around the sand creature.

"_**NO!!"**_ roared Gaara as the sand around his face and body fell away to reveal the red head underneath before he clasped on the ground gasping for air.

The twenty elite shinobi follow him soon after, each struggling to stand and breath, after the complex jutsu they had just performed.

"Kankuro, get Gaara back into the house. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere," order the Kazekage.

"Yes, father," said Kankuro as his father's figure flickered away, then turned to his brother, who just pushed him away.

"I don't need help from worthless idiots like you," was his only response before Gaara marched into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Kohana jumped down from the roof top into the street next to Temari as Kankuro walked back.

"Look, it's probably a good idea if you stay away from Gaara for a while, okay," said Kankuro rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Just try to stay out of his sight and eventually he'll warm up to the idea of you being around," agreed Temari with a forced smile on her face.

"_Somehow I really don't think is had anything to do with me intruding into his house,_" thought Kohana with a blank look on her face, not showing everything of what she was thinking. "_It seemed more like he just wanted to kill me. And what was he? Looking at the way you people reacted, I think you know, but I don't think you're going to tell me right now,_"

Nodding, Kohana turned and took off across the roof tops, ignoring the cries of the siblings to come back and that leaving had not been what they had meant.

"_Go back?_" asked Kohana mockingly in her head, "_I don't think so. This little vacation here has made me use more of my skills then anywhere else, why don't I go all out and use the rest. I think it's time I broke in to this Kage tower and had a look at some of their scrolls and documents and find out just what this Gaara guy really is._"

Set in her mind, Kohana just seem to melt into the shadows as she bounded off towards the Kage tower.

* * *

It was dark in the halls of the tower, all was quite, but if someone was to walk into the files room they would find a small boyish looking girl looking though confidential files, eyes spinning as they analysed everything they looked at.

"_You would think they would put more guards up around this tower,_" thought Kohana, picking up another file, "_I mean these are the file showing Suna's protection lay out and the secrets of Suna. I could just take it and I know many countries that would pay big for these things. It's good think I'm not interested in them, it's that Gaara boy that interests me._"

Putting down the file of Suna's protection lay out, Kohana turned to some medical files that belonged to the greater shinobi of Suna. Medical files that the Kazekage didn't want getting into the wrong hands, so enemy shinobi would know how to take them out.

"_The wrong hands like mine,_" thought Kohana with an evil grin. Pausing in her search, Kohana's eyes landed on a rather large medical file. It was at least ten time bigger then any of there others. "_Hello, look-y what we have here?_"

Pulling the file out, the first words Kohana's eyes sort was Sabaku no Gaara, printed on the front.

"_Looks like I hit the jack pot,_" laughed Kohana in her head. Opening the file, it didn't take her long to find out what Gaara really was.

Demon. He was a demon vessel, and not just any demon vessel, Shukaku's vessel. Vessels to the Shukaku were known to have insomnia which in turn made the vessel state of mind unstable and they are known to have been mad and blood thirsty.

Looking though the file, Kohana saw many times that he had gone on a killing spree and a large number of times where he just killed one person for no reason at all.

"_What the hell, this guy is mad,_" thought Kohana in disbelief. Then the time in the hospital floated to the surface of her mind. The sadness and loneliness in his eyes. All the hurt and emotional pain she had seen in his eyes. "_He never asked to have the Shukaku put inside his body, and his hurting on the inside because of it. He didn't have any friends because of the demon and from what I saw even his siblings are afraid of him._"

Looking up, Kohana's eyes fell onto her sad looking reflection in the window. "_And I know from experience that if you don't have a purpose in life you can't live. I not think Gaara had one so then the Shukaku gave him one and it was to kill,_"

Eyes turning back to the file, Kohana then came across a document for the order to put the Shukaku in Gaara signed by the Kazekge himself. Then a signed scroll for missions of assassination of Gaara; also signed by the Kazekage himself. Shocked Kohana could not bring herself to understand what was written on the scroll.

"_The Kazekage sentenced his own son to holding the burden of the Shukaku and then decided he was too dangerous for the village and tried to have him killed. And the first assassination mission, Gaara would have been six and the killing sprees didn't start until he was six turning seven. That means that what made him the monster he is today was his father. And to try and assassinate ones own child, even with the Shukaku, that's just wrong._"

Angrily Kohana shaved the file back where it came from. "_The assassination missions, it was just the Kazekage running away from his mistake. This village is just using Gaara as their personal weapon. If he was to kill everyone in the village I would not mourn for even one person here, they would deserve it for put a little boy though something like that by himself,_"

Sneaking out of the Kage tower, Kohana took off in to the night, "_No I would not judge him if he did kill everyone here,_"

* * *

Unknown to Kohana, dark eye followed her as she jumped across the roof tops of the Suna citizen homes.

"You survived our last encounter very well, little flower, but that was only the beginning," said the shadow figure as his eyes flashed yellow as they followed the jumping girl until she was no longer in sight.

Turning the shadow walked off, melting into the darkness of the night, the last thing of him to disappear was his eyes. The eyes of a predator; hidden behind a white cloth and Kage hat.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED****Thank you for the reviews**

* * *

**Animestar001** – You are an angel sent from heaven thank you and I'm glad you liked my character Kohana, but she is yet to do anything out standing

**Artemis J. Kalk** – Thank you I'm glad you think this looks like a good story

* * *

Thats the end of chapter 2, please review


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Notes: **Hi everyone sorry about not up dating sooner, but no one was reviewing and then I had my school musical "Pipedreams" to do and my director was working us to the bone and I almost died because of it. Want to hear something funny? On our second performance our drummer went and got himself piss drank and someone had to stand behind him in all the songs tapping him on the back to keep him in time with everyone else. But enough about my rough week I give you chapter 3.

Oh look, I rambling again (I really should stop doing that every time I start a chapter) . . . . hehe . . . . on with the story.

**Disclaimor:** I don't own Naruto, but I do own the characters Kohana, Chikaho and Umi Yasuo

"Characters © copyright hahahhaha . . . . ."

"_Thoughts"_

"_**Shukaku"**_

"Normal"

**

* * *

**

Since Then, Until Forever

**By RikuOfTheDesert**

**Chapter 3: Two Souls That Were Broken**

* * *

"_WHY AM I STILL HERE?!"_ screamed Kohana in her head as she sat next to the two arguing sand siblings as they walked down the busy market streets.

Kohana had been in Suna, the village hidden in the sand for a month now, living in the Kazekage's house with his children. Temari and Kankuro had taken it upon themselves to never let Kohana out of their sight after her fight with a half transformed Gaara. However their effects were in vain, somehow Kohana would disappear just to be found in another fight with Gaara, thankfully not a dangerous as the last.

Kohana also went to see Chikaho in the hospital every day for an hour as the old medic tried to teach her to talk. Kohana politely sat and listened, but never made a sound.

"_I kind of feel guilty for doing this to Chikaho-san. She has been nothing, but nice to me_," thought Kohana sadly.

"It's a bad idea, I tell you," hissed Kankuro in what he thought was a quick voice, "He'll kill her before she can even defend herself."

"I know, but it also might stop them from trying to kill each other too," hissed Temari back, as if they thought Kohana could not hear them.

"Or they could end up really killing each other this time," hissed Kankuro as the arguing continued.

"_I know they say siblings always fight, but they are taking it to a whole new level in sister/brother squabbling._" Thought Kohana throwing a unnoticed glare at them. "_If it was not so wrong I would have to say that they have a love hate relationship, like how little kids pick on the one they have a crush on. . . . . . . . Eewwwwwww!! Get that thought out of my head right now. Yuck! Eewwww! Gross! I'm going to have nightmares over this i just know it._"

"We have to at lest try," snapped Temari turning away from Kankuro, however he just grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Fine, be like that, but would you just for one moment think of what he might do to us," hissed Kankuro a panic look on his face as horrific image of what might await him.

"Is that you think about? Your well being," growled Temari, glaring.

"And yours,"

"You are unbelievable."

"But . . . . ,"

Temari cut him off, "You know this might be good for Gaara. We have never been there for him – ,"

"his never really wanted us to," interjected Kankuro, Temari just ignored him.

" – and his never had anyone care for him – ," continued Temari.

"because he kills anyone how looks at him the wrong way, oww," muttered Kankuro, before Temari hit him on the head.

" – and she could be just the thing to help him," finished Temari clasping her hands together and holding them to her heart a far away look in her eye as if she was picturing a fairy tale love story about a cruel heart prince being saved by a king hearted beauty.

"If you want to help him that much, why don't you try talking to him then instead on sending her?" asked Kankuro as the far away look snapped straight off her face and a nervous one replaced it.

"Err, . . . well, . . . you see, . . . . it like this," stuttered Temari eyes darting around the street looking for an escape root.

"I get it you would rather save your skin by send her then do it your self. Now who;s he unbelievable one?" asked Kankuro mockingly.

"That's not true, I – ,"

"_What ever god that is up there I ask WHY HAVE YOU NOT ANSWERED MY PREYERS YET?_" screamed Kohana angrily in her head. "_Then again I should ask myself why am i still here? I should have left weeks ago,_"

Looking up at the sky at the hot beating sun, a shape of red caught her eyes. Kohana eyes traveled to the roof top of the shop building to see Gaara sitting there eyes cast down on the street below him as people went about their day, not knowing that they were being watched by dark hate filled eyes.

"_It's because of him,_" released Kohana as a sense of loneliness washed over her. Images of the eyes she had seen back when she had first awoken in the hospital flashed in her mind. Not the eyes that hind a great hate for everything living, and a thrust to kill all of human kind at fist sight, but it was a look of sadness and loneliness that was hidden under all that anger and hate.

It was the sense of hurt and emotional pain that had something in Kohana wanting to reach out to him, the scared and afraid little boy that cry to be held and protected by another, to feel connected and bound to another human being, to know that he was wanted and loved. That was why she stayed. . . . . . . for him.

"_I want to help him,_" thought Kohana, eyes not moving for the haunt figure of the red hair on the roof. "_To be the one that he would look at without the hate and distrust, but shine with contentment. To wipe away the hurt and emotional pain and fill him with the joy of being cared for and liked . . . . . and maybe loved. To reach out to him and hold and protected the little boy in him that is lost and crying from the cruel place that is this world,_"

Gaara's eyes suddenly look her straight in the eye. Kohna suck in air as the sense of doom fell on her. Then suddenly a planket of sand rapped around him and he was gone, leaving nothing, but a little pile of sand that blows away in the desert wind.

"I'll just talk to her about it and it'll be all up to her if she wants too," said Temari, closing the matter. Whatever that was.

"and if she is smart she won't do it," murmured Kankuro under his breath, but Temari heard him and sent my a glare that promised the pain from hell if he said anything else.

"Hey, kid," said Temari calling to Kohana how she had not relised had stopped walking and was looking into space.

At the sound of Temari, Kohana pulled out of her thoughts of a handsome evil red head and back to the world of the market square.

"Kankuro and I have been thinking," said Temari slipping an arm around Kohana.

"You were think it, owww," said Kankuo, before a fit ht him on the head.

"and we think it is not healthy that you and Gaara fight as much as you do – ,"

"_You have got to be kidding me. My and Gaara fight to much? Look at you and your brother. I have not been able to stand next to you with out you two having a go at each other_," thought a shocked Kohana, showing none of her thoughts on her face. "_Sure your not trying to kill each other, but it is really starting to hurt my ears, and really I'm not trying to kill Gaara, I'm fight in self-defense. Gaara's the one trying to kill me,_"

"and we think it is a good idea if you sat down and tried to get along. I don't know maybe you two could talk about yourselves or something, just try to build a bridge over the chasm that is between you." Finished Temari, thought Kohana could not remember what it was she had said somewhere in the middle of her little speech.

"_I can't believe you,_" thought Kohana angrily. "_Getting me to do your dirty work for you? If you want to help your brother that much you go talk to him, and don't you remember I'm a mute._"

"Ah, . . . . Temari, I just thought of something," said Kankuro.

"You think that's a bad thing," sniggered Temari, Knakuro just glared at her before continuing.

"How are they suppose to talk when she can't cause she's mute and Gaara dose like to talk at all?" asked Kankuro, confused look on his face.

"_Thank you,_" screamed Kohana in her head, "_The idiot is the one that relies the problem and that sad because his not really the smart to begin with._"

"Oh crap. I didn't think about that, opps," laughed Temari trying to cover up her little mistake. "Guess I'm so use to her I forgot she can't talk,"

Kohana just gave them a blank look.

"Look could you just think about trying to get along with him. For us?" asked Temari, trying for a puppy-dog eyed look that just make Kohana want to laugh out loud, but thought better of it.

Think about the lone figure that had sat on the roof top, Kohana released something. "_He was watching everyone from up there because no one would see him._" Looking around her Kohana saw many people done their shopping, little children running around and happy families enjoying their day together. "_He was just looking at something he never had. Something he secretly yearns for deep in his heart. Maybe what Temari said isn't so bad after all. For all I know this could be what I have been stay here all this time for?_"

Turning back to Temari, Kohana nodded her head in agreement that she would try to get Gaara to open up to her, but Temari should not hold her breath.

* * *

The silence of the dark night left an eerie feel in the atmosphere. A small figure silently slipped though the shadows, jumping up to the second story of the Kazekage's house, pausing as they quickly picked the lock before disappearing though the window.

The room they found themselves in was shadowed in the same darkness as outside. It held a bed and a table and nothing more; the room appeared to be empty. A rushing noise made the intruder stiffen as a tentacle of sand lash out of the darkness, smacking the figure against the wall, holding them there.

"I told you I'd kill you if you came into my room," hissed the angry voice of Gaara as he appeared to melt out of the dark shadows of the room, glaring coldly at the small, crashed form of Kohana under her jail of sand.

Cold jade eyes clashed with determined onyx ones as a silent war past between them. In the end it was Kohana who broke the fight with a sigh as she closed her eyes. "_**Kill, kill her now! You know you want too. You want to feel her blood running though your fingers. You want to hear her to scream her last breath as we take her life. You want to prove your existence!**_" screamed than excited Shukaku, loudly in the Gaara's head.

"_Yes i must kill,_" said Gaara to the demon as a sinister sneer appeared on his face.

"I just wanted to talk to you," said Kohana calmly as if she was not pinned to the wall by sand that could crash her to death any minute.

Gaara paused in his movement towards Kohana, in the dark on one would have seen it, but Kohana had been studying him ever since their first fight had noticed it for what it was. She had caught him by surprise and had knocked him off balance from the situation for a moment before he was back in control.

"You have been able to speak all this time," stated Gaara, to Kohana it seemed more like a demanded. "_**Smart girl, isn't want that stupid sensei to question you so you did say anything from the beginning. Ye, she is a worthy opponent,**_" echoed the Shukaku.

"Yes,"

"Why?"

Silence followed this question as Kohana stared back at Gaara as a silent message past though them. If he let her down and didn't kill her . . . . . . yet, Kohana would tell him whatever he asked.

"_**Kill her, just kill her, what dose it matter if she has been talking, we need blood,**_" snapped the Shukaku, as he raged around in Gaara's head. Gaara didn't know why, but for some reason he wanted to know about her, what made her hold such sadness in her eyes, so Gaara ignored the demon.

Slowly the prism of sand fell to the floor as Kohana gracefully landed on her feet.

"Speak,"

With that final statement Gaara turned and sat on the bed, waiting foe Kohana to continue. Sighing Kohana ran a hand though her short kunai-cut raven hair as she moved to sit on the other end of the bed.

"What is it you need to know?" asked Kohana looking him in the eye for any type of reaction.

Gaara sat quietly, unmoving, unblinking, watching Kohana as the shadows drifted around them, forming scary shape across the walls and floor.

"Who are you?"

Kohana blinked. "_That's his first question? I thought it would have been why I was in the clearing of the dead?_" looking closely at Gaara's cold uncaring eyes Kohana rethought that observation. "_No, he doesn't care for the village, so any questions about me and the clearing will be asked because he wants to know and not because of the Kazekage,_"

Thoughts of the documents and scrolls hidden inside the Kazekage tower and how Gaara had to grow up flashed though Kohana's mind. "_He doesn't trust anyone. He's just a lost little boy on the inside; maybe he and I are not so different,_"

"Kohana,"

"Huh?"

"My name's Kohana,"

"Kohana . . . . . . ?"

"Just Kohana,"

"Hn,"

". . . . . . ?"

Silence fell upon them as they sat facing each other, unblinking. "_Well this is going GREAT!!_" though Kohana sighing out loud. That seemed to trigger Gaara's next question.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Yes, where so we can go and kill the one that has so much power to teach her. Just think, to kill two people with so much power and to have them fall to us, the demon of Suna," laughed Shukaku evilly.

Blinking in surprise at the sudden start of conversation again, Kohana answered, "Nowhere, I learnt to fight on my own,"

It was Gaara's turned to blink in surprise though it did not show on his face. "_**What, there not possible. How could she do this to us. What dose she mean there no one else worthy of us killing? That's we're going to make her death slowly and painful,**_" ranted Shukaku angrily.

Kohana sighed and turned to look out the window at the stars that dotted the night sky. "I broke into the Kazekage tower after our fight to find out just what you were."

Gaara's face showed no sigh of a reaction, but his shoulders stiffened a little. "_**This girl must not be as smart as we thought. To know just what we are and still she broke into our room. Is she just fool heartedly brave or just stupid?**_" asked Shukaku sniggering.

"I know about what your father did to you and how the village treated you and you know . . . . . . ," said Kohana as sadness shone in her eyes. "I really can not judge you for what you believe and how you think. The pain you would have felt and the all consuming loneliness you would have felt."

"_**Who the hell dose she think she is to say that she knows us, we don't need anyone, but ourselves and we love no one, but ourselves, we will kill her for her said,**_" hissed the Shukaku.

You know nothing of what I felt like," hissed Gaara.

"No?" said Kohana turning to look him dead in the eye. Gaara sucked in some air in to his lungs quickly, when he saw the look of sadness she had in her eyes like when he was in the hospital. Her mistrust gone and the need to distance her self had vanished too. Now all that was left was her sense of loneliness as she seemed to reach out to him, just like that time. Her eyes soft with understanding.

"I think I know what you have been going though all your life. You have never known what a loving family was like or what it is like to be accepted by other is like. I to have not felt that." whispered Kohana, but Gaara still heard every word.

"Your father order for the demon Shukaku to be sealed with in you, while the head of my clan order for my family and me to be lock away from the rest of the clan because of who my father married. They thought her to be a disgrace to the clan and would have never let my parents married if my mother had not been pregnant with me."

"_**Why are you still sitting her? Kill her now,**_" growled the Shukakua to Gaara, but he just ignored him.

"My fathers status in the clan was the only thing keeping us save until the head found out that I was just as much a prodigy as his eldest son, he had my assigned as his younger son's playmate. We were the same age and it was decided that we would be teamed together as genin, that with both our skills we would be a great and powerful symbol of our clan."

"_She was being used as a weapon by her family, just like I am,_" though Gaara, surprised.

"_**So, let's just kill her,**_" snapped Shukaku.

"All the other clans would have had to show respect our clan because we would have made our clan the most powerful in the village. However no matter what status I might have gotten in the clan or how much I was accepted by the clan I got my mother would always by nothing more than the clan disgrace."

Kohana stood up and walked to the window to look at the moon out side a tear ran down her face, but her voice did not tremor. "Then one day my father came back from his mission dead and my mother's protection was gone so she ran. I was still safe, the clan wanted my power, but mother could not stand to be part from me so she grabbed me and left."

Kohana turned back to face Gaara, "You have never been accepted by your village while the village my mother toke us to were religious and superstitious. Have you ever heard of the saying "when you bring something new into the house and bad luck happens its the new thing that brought it," well when mother and I started to live in this village their harvest went bad then there was a draught and I village started to run out of water. We lived there for two years before they killed my mother and then turned on me."

"_Just like my village,_" thought Gaara, a small pain in his crest shot though him as his hand moved to grab his shirt just above the pain. "_This pain. Why am I feeling it again?_"

"_**Because of her, KILL HER!**_" screamed the annoyed demon, that his commands where being ignored.

Bowing her head, Kohana's arms then rose to remove her shirt and pull it over her head. Gaara start as a bare chest was shown to him. She did not wear a bra as her two small mounds of flesh that where the start of her crest were too small to even half fill an A cup. An ugly scar ran from her left should across and down thought the valley between the small mounds of flesh and across her stomach to her right hip.

"_W . . wh . . what – ?_" stuttered Gaara in his head eyes not moving from there place on her chest.

"_**. . . . . .**_" was Shukaku's only repose.

"The butcher did that to me with his butcher knife before I killed him. I was eight when this happened and he was the first person I had ever killed. After that I had turned to the life of a thief. I just stole little amounts of food, it would have been easy to steal large amounts I suppose, but then someone might suspect and I didn't stay in one village for to long, just a week or two then high tail it out of there before the folk get use to me being there."

Kohana pulled her ratty shirt back on and sat back on the bed. She ran her finger though her hair as her story just seemed to come flowing out of her mouth. Have held it in for so long it just seem so easy to tell him now that she had started.

"A few times I came across some other older thieves that thought I would be an easy rut in the grass, and would try and rape me, and then I'd kill them too. In the end I cut me hair short to look like a boy so that the only thing they would do was try and steal any lute I had, but they too would meet the end at the tip of my blade."

An anger started to rise in Gaara's chest when she said this, "_What do I feel this? Why do I feel like I want to go kill those bastards, even though she said their already dead?_" Gaara mentally asked.

"_**Did someone say kill? Who are we going to Kill?**_" asked Shukaku in almost a playful puppy way.

"This is the longest I have ever staying in a village after the death of my mother," continued Kohana a small sad smile on her face, "and it's about time I was on my way."

Kohana stood up and turned to leave though the window, before Gaara's hand shot out and grab her hand. He was not so sure what was making him do this, but something told him too.

"I kill my mother at birth and for that father, hated me and my sibling always looked at me with disgust and the villagers all feared me or scorned me. My uncle was assigned to look after me and monitor the demon within me. He told me he loved me and that mother had too before she died," Gaara all, but whisper making Kohana take a step towards him so she could hear.

"then when I was six, an assassin attacked me. I could see his face, but I attack in self-defense hurt him to the point that he could not move. When I went to remove the mask covering him, the pain in my heart grow as I looked down that the face of my uncle," said Gaara as he clenched his hands into fists as the member made him anger.

"He told me that he could never love me, that it was because I was the last thing of my mother left that he looked after me, and that it was on my father's orders that he was going to kill me. He also told me that my mother had never loved me, and she died cursing this village and me with her last breath, just before he lit a exploding tag and tried to blow us up," said Gaara as his eye looked up at Kohana's face to see her looking back at him, with concern, worry and sadness as his story continued.

"After that day the last little piece of humanity dead within me and I cut the kanji "LOVE" into my very skin to remind myself that i love no one, but myself," Gaara hissed out the last part as Shukaku evilly laugh at him inside his head.

"Maybe we are not so different Gaara," said Kohana as she raised her hand to cup his left cheek.

This seemed to knock Gaara out of this little trance and he hit her hand away angrily. "We are not even close to being alike, Get out before I kill you," snarled Gaara as his sand pickup and rushed around the room threatenly.

Kohana figure flickered out existence to reappear at the window, looking back at Gaara one more time, "I meant what I said about not being about to judge you for the way you are. If I had live just as hard I life as you I would be feeling bitter too," and then she was gone.

"_**Who dose she think she is, to touch as like that to believe she knows us or can save us, we need no one,**_" hissed a pissed off Shukaku.

Gaara sat there quietly as the Shukaku continued to rant think about the last thing she had said.

"_If I had lived just as hard a life as you I would be feeling bitter too,_"

"But you did so why are you not?" asked Gaara out loud. "What is it that you have that I don't?"

When no answer came up Gaara's temper rose and his fist punched the wall.

"I'll find out what it is and when I do then I'll kill you," vowed a demonic Gaara as Shukaku's charka pumped though his body with the new adrenalin.

* * *

Three days after the talk between Kohana and Gaara, things were very quite, as their fight became far and in between. Kohana continued to sit next to Temari and Kankuro without a word and Gaara never made a move to tell them about her ability to speak.

That day the Siblings and Baki had been called up to see the Kazekage. When they got there they saw many others of Suna's genin teams.

"You all have been chosen to participate in the Chunin exams that are being held in Konoha. Only the best are being sent and you are the best. Do not disgrace the Sand village and be one your guard," said the Kazekage behind his kage hat and white cloth mask.

Kohana stood at the back watching as the Kazekage's eyes traveled across the room as if looking for something. Suddenly his eyes landed upon her and a great sense of dread and doom feel upon her as his eyes seem to penetrate into her very soul and the hurt, greedy look in them promised unimaginable pain.

Kohana suddenly did feel safe and her head screamed to run away as fast as possible, but her body would not let her.

"Team Baki I would like you to stay the rest, you are dismissed," order the Kazekage eyes never leave Kohana's.

There was a whooshing sound as all fellow Shinobi disappeared. Leaving just Baki, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and Kohana, who did not know why she had not moved yet.

"Girl, you are dismissed," said the Kazekage as he seemed to leer at her, "But if you wish to wait for them you must wait out side.

Kohana using all her mental power forced her body to move as she flickered away, and stopped out side.

"Why is it that his eyes scare me so much?" murmured Kohana leaning against the wall of the Kage tower. Looking up at the window of the Kage's office where Gaara and his team still where, a sense of panic flashed though her body.

"_With them out of the village, you'll know what he'll do. I just don't trust him._" Thought Kohana, frowning.

"Hey," called Temari as she and her brother and Baki walked out of the tower. "We have to leave in two hours for this exam and do you think you can look after yourself for a month or so?"

Kohana just nodded, but thought, "_There's something you're not telling me. Why is it you were the only team to have to talk to the Kazekage alone? Something not right here and I bet it something your father wants you to do._"

"Good then we had better go pack," stated Temari as she marched the males away to pack.

Kohana watched them walk away, before turning her eyes back to the window above to looking to the eyes of the Kazekage. A shiver ran down her back his eyes flashed yellow.

Turning Kohana toke off at a run, not really knowing where she was going, "_I have to get away from here, anywhere it doesn't matter, I just have to leave._"

For two hours Kohana ran around the village in a mindless worry to stop at the front Gate of Suna to see Temari, Konkuro, Baki and Gaara walking off into the desert.

"_That's it I'll just follow them. No one will have to know and I can get away from the crazy bastard and stay safe. Oh yeah go me,_" thought Kohana as she disappeared into the endless desert sand basking in yellow and orange afternoon rays.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Thank you for the reviews

**THAFuzz** – I'm happy you like my story and I'm sorry about the typos. I have I computer that was built in the stone age and dose not understand this thing called spell check and I have to beat the key board to bits to type so I'm sorry.

**Artemis J. Halk** – thank you for reviewing again I'm sorry it took so long but I had a school musical to act in and the new school term to get back into, but now that it's all over the chapters will becoming up on a weekly bases. I hope.

**Thank you for reviewing after my threat**

**Hinata-girl5** – thank you and I'm glad you like Kohana pretending to be mute and I try my best to get Gaara into character, however that may change as they get older and him more human (If that makes sense?)

**Akizu Miko** – thank you I'm glad you think this story is nice and I'm happy with the chapter lay out too, but it hard to think up chapter titles

**Gaara The Enternal** – thank you I'm glad you love this story, I do too and I'm the one writing it. And for future notice Kohana will be dealing with Temari and Kankuro a lot more in later chapters.

**Animestar001** – stuff

**Shadowfox19** – I'm glad you like it and I got a lot of reviews for this and I do think some people are just lazy thank

**THE1** – hearing you say it one of your fav. Make me really happy

**Spartan0901** – I'm glad you like it and I got a lot of reviews for this and I do think some people are just lazy thank

* * *

Thats the end of chapter 3, please review


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Notes:** sorry I didn't up date on Saturday. My cousin is getting married and all my family are coming up and mom wanted clean house and then there were family gatherings and stuff. I have not been doing to well with the updating have I? I find it easier to update on the holidays then in a school week. Damn oh well I'll try. Here chapter 4.

Kohana father's name **Akira **means _bright and intelligent_, because I believe that Kohana got her smarts from her father and later on him the story Kohana will have her mother's breasts. Heh heh heh.

Oh I almost forgot _**NO ONE REVIEWED MY 3**__**RD**__** CHAPTER!!**_

**Disclaimor:** I don't own Naruto, but I do own the characters Kohana, Chikaho, Umi Yasuo and Akira.

"Characters © copyright hahahhaha . . . . ."

"_Thoughts"_

"_**Shukaku"**_

"Normal"

**

* * *

**

Since Then, Until Forever

**By RikuOfTheDesert**

**Chapter 4: Pieces Of The Past**

* * *

The street of Konoha was busting with people as they went about their daily duties, some turned and looked at the four shinobi from Suna as they walked past, but nothing more. However no one saw the small figure that jumped across the rooftops over head as they silently followed the group of shinobi though town.

It was not long that they made it to the Hokage tower and entered. Kohana stopped and hide in the trees close by and waited. Half hour later they left and checked in to a hotel, all the while being followed.

"_Well, now what?_" thought Kohana as she sat on the roof of the hotel, "_I have nowhere to go and if I go inside Baki will have the shinobi from Konoha escort me back to Suna, and I well not go back. So that leaves finding a hole big enough and curling up in that for the night. Fun._"

Kohana was brought out of her thoughts when Temari and Kankuro walked out of the hotel and down the street.

"I have nothing better to do, so I'll follow them," murmur Kohana as she toke off after them, unaware of the cold eyes that followed her movement.

* * *

"So this is the might Leaf village," said Kankuro, sarcasticly.

"It's not much really," agreed Temari, as the walked down and around the street, "I wonder how strong their shinobi are?"

"If their weak it will make our mission all that more easy," smirked Kankuro.

"_Mission?_" thought Kohana as she silently jumped from tree to tree, "_Their here for a mission what mission, aren't they here for the Chunin exams? And the creepy old bastard never said that the Chunin exams were a mission. Gasp. The Kazekage kept them aside to talk to them, so he gave them a mission then. I knew Temari was acting strange when they came out,_"

"AHHHHHHHHH!!"

A small little boy of 9 years old suddenly came running around the corner, straight into Kankuro and then fell to the ground. The little kids looks up at him and Temari, before flinching back a little.

Temari and Kankuro looked down at the little boy who ect decripe.

"_Well hello what have they found now,_" thought Kohana looking down at the brown haired little boy.

"Do you need something?" asked Kankuro sneering down at the little kids.

Four more people com running around the corner, two the same age as the first kid, and two who were 12 years old. One of the older ones had blonde hair and blue eyes, with whisker markings on his cheeks and he dressed in an orange jump suit, the other had unusual pink hair and bright green eyes. She wore a red sleeveless Japanese styled dress with black bike shorts underneath and she had an overly large forehead. Both of these people wore a shinobi forehead protector proudly on their heads.

Kankuro pent down and picked up the kids that lay at his feet, the boy whimpering at the stranger guy in face paint.

"Konohamaru!" called the blonde as he stopped and looked at Kankuro.

"So dose this hurt punk?" asked Kankuro and he tightens hid grip slightly, making the little boy called Konohamaru gasp a little in pain.

"_Kankuro?_" thought Kohana in alarm, "_What he hell dose he thing his doing?_"

"Put him down Kankuro or you know you'll pay for it late," advised Temari, yet she made no move to stop him.

"Hey I'm sorry, the whole thing was my fault," said the pink hair girl stepping forward, hand held together in an apologetic manner.

"_Pink hair, oh you poor thing,_" thought Kohana, but could not help but on the inside at the unsual hair colour.

"You better take your hands off him right now," demanded the blonde, not really helping to make matters better.

Kankuro's only respones was to smirk, "We've got a few minutes until he gets here lets miss with this punk huh," said Kankuro, as Konohamaru gasped and started to struggle, swinging his legs as he tried to kick him.

"He? Dose he mean Gaara? Gaara's coming oh that will end well, thought Kohana as she remember as few of their previous fights.

"Let go of me you jerk,"

"Your feisty, but not for long," threatened Kankuro as he tightened his hold.

"Grrrrrr, put him down!" yelled the blonde as he toke off running right at Kankuro.

Kankuro smirked s he raised his hand and twitched his fingers, suddenly the blonde fell over with a thud.

Kohana raised an eyebrow. She had never been able to find out what his fighting style was and pretending to be mute, she could just ask him. "_So his a puppeteer, that's what's the mummy looking thing on his back,_"

"What the? What was that?" asked the blonde as he sat on the ground rubbing his soar head.

"You're a leaf Genin too looks like your villages is full of wimps," mocked Kankuro, as he turned back to the little boy in his fist, tightening his grip.

"Huh, Konohamaru," called the blonde.

"Konohamaru," cried the little girl

"Konohamaru," snorted the little boy his nose still running.

"_If one more person calls, cries or snorts or even says Konohamaru I will course them more pain then they will ever know,_" though Kohana as the constant calling of the boys name was really getting of he nervous.

"Hey cut it out it hurts," whined Konohamaru grabbing at Kankuro's hand.

"That's it drop him now or I'll take you apart you got that fool," declared the blonde point his finger at Kankuro in a challenge.

The pink haired girl came up behind him and around her arms around his neck to strangle him, "you're the fool making threats isn't going to help Naruto," she said as she continued to course the blonde pain.

"_And the strong fall yet again to the powers of women,_" thought Kohana laughing on the inside as she watched the two wrestle around for a little bit.

Kankuro smiled, "your annoying all of you," he raised his fist up, "I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings so when a wimp like this shooting of his mouth," Kankuro tighten his grip one more time as he turned to the blonde, "I just want to brake him in half,"

Temari sighed, "Fine I'm don't involved in any of this okay," said Temari as she folded her arms.

"_So honorable of you Temari,_ " thought Kohana rolling her eyes, " _say you won't stay out of it, but you don't stop him, smart,_"

"First I take care of this little spurt then I'll waste the other one," stated Kankuro as he pulled his arm down to strike the kids he was holding.

"Ahhhhhhh," roared the blonde as he again charged at Kankuro, fist rose.

With out warning Kankuro dropped the kids, who gasps as he hits the ground. Moaning Kankuro held onto his right wrist, which seem to be in some sort of pain. A small rock hit the ground.

"Huh," said Kankuro as he stared down at the offending rock, before turning to the tree across the street from the tree Kohana hind in that the rock had come out of.

"You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league," said a dark handsome raven haired youth with onyx eyes and a long neck royal blue shirt and white pants sitting along a branch not far from the street, lazily throwing another rock into the air just to catch it as it fell.

"_Sasuke?_"

"Sasuke!," squeaked the pink hair girl, blush painting her face. Temari seemed to stand there looking the new comer up and down, an empress look in her eyes, as if she liked what she saw.

"Naruto!" cried the forgotten Konohamaru, as he ran over the blonde.

"Oh great another wimp to tick me off," sneered Kankuro glaring up at the Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his hand just to crush the rock in his grip, "Get lost," was all he said as he opened his hand to let the dirt fall into the wind.

"_Sasuke what happened to you? You're not the boy a use to know. Where's that small smile you use to have?_" thought Kohana, unable to turn her eyes away from the flesh of old memories, "_you're eyes are now cold and hard and distant, what has happened to you?_"

"Hn, so cool," squeaked the pink haired girl and the younger one together with love hearts in their eyes.

"How came your not cool like that huh," half asked half whined Konohamaru, turning to the blonde called Naruto.

"What do you mean I could have taken that guy out in two seconds flat," said Naruto knelling down to Konohamaru's high and placing a hand on his shoulder laughing uneasily.

"Hey punk get down here," challenged Kankuro, as he confronted Sasuke, "you're the kind of pesky little snort I hate the most all attitude and nothing to back it up," stepping back, Kankuro turned and grabbed the rapped up mummy from his back.

"_No Kankuro, his on a different level then you. You can't fight him. Wait what am I thinking? FIGHT HIM, GET YOUR ASS KICKED, YOU STUPID IDIOT!_" screamed Kohana in her head, fists raised.

"What are you going to use the crow for this?" asked Temari in shock and worry.

"Kankuro back off," said a new dark and evil voice. Sasuke tenses, yet it went unnoticed be though below, but not by Kohana, who had sense the new comer before he had even announced his presents. There handing, upside down from a higher up branch was Gaara.

"_This could turn ugly,_" thought Kohana a little on edge, "_If Sasuke's as strong as I think he is, then Gaara would be a better match up against him and that could turn bloody_,"

"You're an embarrassment to our village," stated Gaara darkly, which seemed to make everyone a little nervous.

"Er, hey Gaara," said Kankuro hestietly.

Gaara ignored him and turn his head to look at Sasuke who just glared back. The staring or more like glaring contest continues for a few moments before Gaara turned back to Kankuro.

"Have you forgotten what we came all the way here?" asked Gaara.

"I know, . . . I'm mean they challenged us. . . . They started the whole thing really, see here's what happened - ," said Kankuro, stumbling over his words, just to be cut off by Gaara.

"Shut up,"

Kankuro tensed up as gaara's glare turned deafly, "Or I'll kill you,"

"_Oh great, Gaara's in one of his moods,_" thought Kohana sighing, "_and it's not like Temari or Kankuro are strong enough to get though to him,_"

"Err right I was totally out of line I'm sorry Gaara I was totally out of line," wheezed Kankuro.

Again Gaara ignored him as he turned back to Sasuke, "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused,"

"_What?_" thought Kohana shocked. "_He just said sorry. I didn't think he had every even heard of that word before. Guess you do learn something new everyday,_"

Tresses of sand raped around him as he disappeared, just to reappear knelling down on the street next to Kankuro. Straightening up he turned to leave "Let's go we didn't come here to play games,"

Kohana narrowed her eyes at this, "_Is he talking about the Chunin exams or this o called mission?_"

"All right sure I get it," laughed Kankuro nervously, but he turned to follow Gaara.

"Hold on!" called the pink haired girl as she run after them, yet none of the sand shinobi stop. "Hey!"

"_I must say girls got guts,_" sniggered Kohana.

"What?" demanded Temari, as they all stopped and turned back to the Konoha Genin.

"I can tell from your head protector that you came from the village hidden in the sand of course the land of wind and the land of fire are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village with out permission," said the girl confidently, even taking a step towards the sand shinobi, "so state your purpose and it better be good,"

"_Looks like we have a brainy and you'd need to be with a forehead that big,_" laughed Kohana.

"Really have you guys all be living under a rock or what you don't know what's going on do you?" mocked Temari as she raised a small note with what appeared to be her details and information, "we have permission,"

"Huh,"

"Of course you're correct we are hidden sand Genin our home is the land of the wind and were here for the Chunin exams get the picture?" smirked Temari.

"The chunin exams whats that I've never heard of any chunin exams believe it," said a confused Naruto.

"Oh I believe it alright that your totally clueless," insulted Temari.

"_I totally agree with that. His an absolute idiot, more so the Kankuro and that's saying something,_" thought Kohana smirking.

"Hey boss those are the exams that every Genin have to take in order to graduate into a full on Chunin," explained Konohamaru to the older boy.

"_Hahahaha even a little kid knows more then he dose,_" Lauged Kohana gripping on to the tree she was hiding in so she wouldn't fall out.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so, I'm doing it so there," exclaimed Naruto giving him the thumps up.

"Huh," said Gaara as if signaling to the other two they all turned to leave again. Just to be stopped be Sasuke as he jumped down from the tree to the street.

"Hey you identify yourself," commanded Sasuke.

"_Sasuke. No don't ask him, he'll single you out and crash later on,_" thought Kohana in a panic.

Only Temari stopped as she turned back to look at the handsome boy with a blush across her cheeks, "you mean me?"

"_Yes you_," thought Kohana sarcastically.

"No him the guy with the gourd on his back,"

Gaara stopped and turned to look back at the other boy before answering, "I'm name is Sabaku no Gaara I'm curious about you too who are you,"

"No,"

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke,"

"Hi there I bet your dieing to know my name right," said the hyperactive blonde.

"I could care less," said Gaara as he turned to leave, not before he stopped and turned cold jade eyes towards the tree where Kohana sat in hiding.

"_Crap, he knows I'm here,_" panicked Kohana quickly turning to leave when he followed be Temari and Kankuro, had leaped away.

* * *

Kohana jumped across the rooftops, not really paying attention to anything around her as her mind swirled around the one thing that had plagued her mind since she had seen him, standing there facing down Kankuro and then Gaara.

Sasuke.

"It been a long time since I've been here, but he's changed so much that I almost did recognize him," thought Kohana as Sasuke's image flashed though her head. "What has happen to you? You're not the boy I use to know. Why are you so dark and mistrusting? Where is the Ni-sama I knew all those years ago?"

In her trance like state, Kohana had not realized that she had now came to the north estates where some of the high class shinobi clans lived. There were more trees around here as the buildings were more spaced out and beautiful garden grow every where.

Crash!

The noise pulled Kohana roughly from her thought as she looked for the noise, just too nearly run into a fight between two strong and burly bucks as they rammed into each other.

Crash!

"What the – ?" said Kohana as the two buck continued with they battle, while a doe stood to the side watching them.

"They are fighting over mate ship of the doe. I would move if I was you or you'll get caught in the crossfire again," drawled a voice to Kohana's right.

Turning, Kohana was faced with a boy her age, with raven hair pulled back in a high ponytail and dark brown eyes that held an expression of boredom. He wore a green and gray vest with his clan sigh on the short sleeves over a mesh shirt and a pair of murky brown three quarter pants, and blue sandals. A forehead protector was tied around his bicep, displaying he was a shinobi of Konoha, but because of his age, Kohana guessed he was nothing more then a Genin.

"I said I would move if I was you," said the boy again as he pointed behind her.

"Huh,"

Looking over her should, Kohana panic as one of the bucks got ready to charge at her. Quickly with reflexes that had learned long ago to move without thinking Kohana jumped and flipped to land behind the boy just as the buck run into the tree that had just been behind Kohana.

"Troublesome," murmured the boy as he turned and walked away.

"Hey," called Kohana as her legs moved to follow him, before her mind could catch up. "Who are you?"

"I should be asking you that?" answered the boy as he looked over his shoulder at her, before turning to look in front on him, "You're the one trespassing on my families' estate,"

"Sorry,' said Kohana as she fell into step with him, "I was lost in thought and end up here, I'll leave just as soon as you tell me who you are,"

"Troublesome," murmured the boy under his breath as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants.

Kohana frown when he said no more, "_Fine if he wants to be like that I'll just have to bait him into telling me,_" thought Kohana as a smirk replaced the frown on her face.

"Well, Troublesome, my next question will have to be where am I?" asked Kohana innocently.

Scowling, the boy's eyes flicked to her before back to the path ahead as they walked between and around the house in the large wood land estate. All the houses had a wooden cottage crossed with the traditional Japanese style look to them. It had a really nice homey fell to the whole place and Kohana thought she wouldn't mind leaving somewhere like this.

"Nara Shikamaru,"

"Huh,"

"Troublesome. . . . . My name is Nara Shikamaru and you are currently in side the Nara estate," answered the boy as they came to a house and he sat down on the porch beside a board game that he then started to set up.

Kohana stood a watched as he place white and black piece into place and then sat back and looked at the board. They stayed like this until Shikamaru turned to Kohana.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to leave like you were going too?" he drawled in a bored tone.

"Are you going to sit there all day and look at the board?" shot back Kohana.

Frowning again, Shikamaru turned back to the board, "Well it's not like there are many worthy opponents that can make me think when playing," said Shikamaru with a sigh.

Looking at him with curiously, Kohana asked, "Why don't you teach me?"

"Why?"

"Why not? It will give you something to do and I might be able to think clearly again," said Kohana matter-a-factly.

"Troublesome," murmured Shikamaru, but nodded none the less.

After half hour of explaining to Kohana how to play, they started up on their first game, ended an hour late with Shikamaru the winner.

"One more game, I think I have the hang of it now," pleaded Kohana, flashed Shikamaru sad puppy eyes.

"Troublesome, fine one more game," said Shikamaru as he set up the board again.

That was how Shikamaru's mother found them two hours later; half way though a game with no one looking like they were winning.

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Choji at the Barbeque place and who's your friend?" asked Mrs. Nara as she lent on the side of the house watching a Shikamaru made a move in the game.

"I'm playing shoji. I don't know where Choji is, but he probable is at the Barbeque place and this is . . . . . ? Troublesome," said Shikamaru as he realized he had not asked Kohana for her name yet.

"Your friends name is troublesome, weird," said Mrs. Nara good naturedly at the frown on her son's face.

"I don't really need a name," said Kohana as she made her move on the board, making Shikamaru frown more as he found himself stuck and had to think of his next move.

"Well person with no need for a name if you're ever in need of anything your welcome to ask. It's not ever day that Shikamaru has a girl over," said Mrs. Nara as she turned and walked back into the house.

"You're a girl?" asked Shikamaru looking up in surprise.

"How the hell did your mother know?" answered Kohana back with another question.

"Women are troublesome," murmured Shikamaru as he made a move.

"Oh so sorry your manliness, we low lively women do not mean to bother you with our presents please forgive us for our sinful behavior," mocked Kohana as she made her move.

"So do you have a name?" asked Shikamaru as his eyes watched the board as he thought of his next move.

"Is it that important?" shot back Kohana.

"Yes, . . I mean no, . . . I mean, . . troublesome," aid Shikamaru with a sigh. "Do you even have permission to be inside the village or are you some guy who's here to steal our secrets?"

"Yes, I'm here to steal the villages secrets, you caught me," mocked Kohana rolling her eyes.

"I'm being serious, troublesome," sighed Shikamaru.

"Chill, I'm may not have permission to be here, and if it helps, you can just refer to me as the friendly stranger walking by," said Kohana matter-a-factly.

"Troublesome, what reason could you have to be here if your not here to steal or cheat the village?" asked Shikamaru, the shoji game long forgotten.

"I'm looking out for someone and to hind from someone else," answered Kohana with a smile.

"SHIKAMARU!" sounded the voice of Mrs. Nara. "I NEED YOU TO GO FETCH YOUR FATHER FOR DINNER AND YOUR GIRLFRIENDS WELCOME TO STAY IF SHE WANTS!"

Shikamaru face went bright red with embarrassment, while Kohana just raise an amused eyebrow.

Girlfriend?

"Mom, she not my girlfriend," Shikamaru called back.

"Oh what a pity. I had hoped you might have got your lazy but and had taken a step into the real world, but I see your head is still stuck in those clouds you love to watch so much and she seemed like such a nice girl too," answered Mrs. Nara, making Kohana giggle as Shikamaru's face turned an even darker red.

"I think I should go now," said Kohana as she stood up, and then looked at the board, "whose go was it anyway?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru sighed, unable to look her in the eye now, "You know you can stay for dinner, if you want. You don't have a place to stay do you?"

"No, but I'll be fine, and I don't think you live though dinner if I stayed, not with your mother anyways," laughed Kohana.

"Huh,"

"We should do this some other time. I like playing shoji with you Shikamaru-kun, and you never know i might beat you next time," said Koahana as she turned and ran off thought the houses towards the trees.

"Troublesome,"

"Shikamaru?" called Mrs. Nara as she came out of the house, "Oh where's your little friend?"

"She had to leave," answered Shikamaru with a shrug.

"Oh, I really liked her she was so sweet, oh well there's always next time she over," said Mrs. Nara with a pointed look at her son.

"Troublesome," murmured Shikamaru, as he packed up the shoji board.

"Didn't I tell you to go get your father? Off you go," said a she shooed Shikamaru off to the pub to get his father for dinner.

* * *

The sun was now setting over Konoha and Kohana had found herself standing next to the old memorial stone. She was not sure what made her come here, just that something told her she had to see it and look upon the name of a lost loved one.

_Akira_

Maybe it was the fact that she had seen Sasuke that day and it brought back old memories and thoughts of the one that had died that had her walking all the way out to stand lonely by the stone.

"Well, what have we here? It's not never often that I've have company here," said a voice behind her.

Gasping in surprise Kohana span around to come face to face with a dark eye. Stepping back Kohana was then able to see just who he was. He had only one dark onyx eye showing, his other eye hidden under a forehead protector, his messy mop of hair was a silver gray as it stuck out all over the place and the rest of his face was hidden under a black mask.

He wore a long black sleeve shirt under a green shinobi jacket vest with long baggy black pants and black gloves and sandals. Bandages were rapped around his ankles and a kunai pouch was strapped to his right leg. Even with his silver gray hair Kohana would have to have guessed that the man was no more then 26 years old.

"W . . wh . . what?" stuttered Kohana as she got her bearings after her fright. She hadn't even sensed him coming up behind her.

"I said it's not often that anyone else comes here at this time," said the man step up next to her and looked upon the dark stone.

"I just thought I'd come and see someone I haven't seen in a long time," said Kohana as she too turned back to the stone.

"He died in the line of duty, huh?" said the man.

"Yeah," said Kohana sadly.

"Was he your father? I might have known him,"

"Maybe, he was an old friend to the family and I don't really remember him that well. He was never around and was always on a mission, but even so I admire him," said Kohana with a small smile.

"Why?"

"He did everything to protect his family and work harder then anyone I know to provide for them, even if he had to go on one mission them other with out stopping to pay for their food. Even if he was never around, that just shows how much he loved them and that's why I admire him so much," answered Kohana as a ghostly wind blow by.

Silence fell between them as they stood together and looked upon a stone of many names and memories. Finally Kohana broke the silence.

"So why do you come here," asked Kohana looking over at the scarecrow of a man.

"Oh I could here to read," was the answer as he pulled out an orange covered book with Icha Icha printed across the cover.

Kohana raised an eye brow, but just turned back to the stone.

"I never seen you around here before, are you here for the Chunin Exams?" asked the man.

"No and Yes," asked Kohana.

"Are you here with your team?"

"No and yes,"

"Are you going to watch the show?"

"No and yes,"

"Are you going to answer any of my questions differently?"

"Yes and no," said Kohana with a smile as she eyes glanced at him.

"I guess I'm not really going to get any really answers from you, am I?"

"Not really I have nothing of real value anyway," stated Kohana.

"I don't think I'll get any reading done here so I'll take me leave," said the scarecrow as he turned and walked off towards the village and disappeared into the trees.

Sighing Kohana turned back to the stone. "I really miss you dad, I wish you hadn't had died on the mission then mom might I've still been alive and we might have had a life together," thought Kohana sadly.

_Akira._

Kohana raised her hand and ran her fingers over the name engraved within the stone, before she turned and walked away.

* * *

Hidden within the trees lining, Hatake Kakashi's eye wide. He knew that she was hiding something and that the memorial stone was the key to finding out, but with that one little slip up by her Kakashi had a very clear idea what it was.

He could not believe what it was he had found maybe there was one more out there. One more that held the secret of that clan.

**

* * *

**

TO BE CONTINUED

**

* * *

**

Thank you for the review

**Artemis J. Halk** - yes i have been busy but i am getting thought it and i think i like up dating on holidays course then i have time to write and stuff couase schools caugthing up to me.

_

* * *

_

Thats the end of chapter 4, please review.


End file.
